


Burnt Feathers

by angelofgensokyo (orphan_account)



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 03:36:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6783568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/angelofgensokyo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mokou nurses Mystia after burning her wing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When the heat of battle calmed down in her head, Mokou finally looked at the result. The youkai that tried to attack her - that night sparrow girl she had seen a few times before - was lying unconscious on her back, thin smoke rising from her body. Looking closely, she saw that the girl was mostly unharmed, except for her left wing - it was quite severely damaged, with a large chunk of feathers gone and remaining ones charred heavily. Mokou scowled - she somehow overdid it with her counterattack, even though she wasn't attacking any harder than usual. Then again, she thought, the girl ambushed her when she was walking through the bamboo forest in the dead of night, so she might have taken the fight a bit too serious from surprise...

The girl on the ground moved a bit and let out a short moan of pain. Holding her shoulder, she raised herself a bit and looked at her left side. For a second, she stayed motionless, aside from her eyes and mouth opening wider with shock. What followed was one of the most high-pitched screams Mokou had heard in her long life. Surprised, she closed her eyes and covered her ears. When she finally opened them, she saw the girl sitting on the ground and bawling her eyes out.

"What have you do-o-one..." She wailed pitifully.

"Big deal. You're a youkai, you'll heal in no time." Mokou shrugged.

"No-o-o..." The girl started rubbing her eyes. "I can't fly like this... I can't hunt... I'll starve..."

"Everyone here can fly without wings." Mokou rolled her eyes. "Either way, blame yourself. You're the one who attacked me." She turned around to continue on her way.

"No! Don't leave me here!" The girl shrieked suddenly. "I-I'll die like this... Please... help..." Her words quickly devolved into uncontrollable sobs.

Mokou turned and looked at her. The girl was staring straight at her with wet eyes, trembling visibly. Mokou sighed.

"All right, I'll escort you wherever you need to go. You want to get out of this forest first, right?"

"No... I left my cart... somewhere here... but I can't find it... and then I got lost myself..." The girl barely managed to mutter while struggling with her runny nose.

Mokou sighed again. "Fine, I'll get you to a local doctor. You can look for your cart after they help you. Let's go."

The girl quickly nodded a few times and tried to get up, but promptly came tumbling down as her shaking legs failed to provide her any support.

"U-u-u... I... c-can't..." She hanged her head, sitting clumsily on the ground.

Mokou sighed yet again, realizing she'd have to carry the girl all the way there. Then a thought flashed in her mind - an image of Kaguya sneering at the sight of her with the girl in her hands. Mokou felt sick for a moment. Then she looked at the girl again. Of course, nothing could stop her from just leaving her here. But there still was one thing she could do...

Mokou sighed once more. "In that case, you can stay at my place for a bit."

Mokou stepped closer to the girl, but she shifted backwards, looking at her with confusion and fright.

"You can't walk, can you? It's not too far, so I'll carry you. You'll be safe there."

After a few moments of deliberation, the girl shifted closer, still looking terrified. Mokou approached and picked her up carefully, making sure not to touch the damaged wing. The girl gasped a bit, but otherwise remained silent.

With the winged girl in her arms, Mokou finally resumed her way home. The girl closed her eyes and curled as much as she could, trying not to move at all, aside from shuddering in pain sometimes. Carrying her wasn't too much trouble - the girl was smaller than Mokou, and even for her size she was quite light. Before long, Mokou reached her house.

"Well, here we are. As I said, you can--"

Mokou stopped abruptly when she looked at the girl. She was motionless, her body relaxed, head resting on Mokou's arm with a slightly open mouth. A grim premonition came over Mokou's mind. She descended the girl to the floor, holding her up with one hand, and leaned over the girl's mouth. Suddenly, the girl opened her eyes and, with a gasp, jerked forward. Mokou almost lost her balance from the collision. The girl yelped loudly and fell back on Mokou's hand, covering her nose with her hands.

"Uwa... I-I'm s-sorry... I-I..." She stuttered.

"Calm down, it's not your fault." Mokou stopped her. "I was just... uh... worried..."

After she helped the girl sit up properly, an awkward silence hanged between them. The girl was staring at Mokou with wide scared eyes while she was at a loss about what to do now.

"Uh, I guess you want to sleep, huh?" She finally said. "Go ahead, you probably need it. Wait a bit, I'll be right back."

Mokou stood up and went to look for her futon. She had only one and rarely used it, but it was in usable condition. Better than nothing, anyway. When she came back with it, the girl was looking at her burned wing, tears welling in her eyes again.

"Here you go. Help yourself." Mokou rolled the futon out in front of the girl. She looked at it in deliberation for some time. "Uh, is something wrong?" Mokou asked finally.

The girl didn't answer, but her stomach announced it clearly enough.

Mokou sighed. "Sorry, I don't have much food around. What does a youkai like you eat, anyway?"

"...a... anything's fine..." The girl breathed out quietly, staring at the floor.

With another sigh, Mokou went to check her supplies. She didn't keep much around, mostly just some long-lasting stuff. Skipping meals was no trouble for her.

After digging around, Mokou returned to the girl with some dried vegetables. She nibbled them down quietly and finally settled down on top of the blanket, lying down on her good side. Mokou sat near the entrance, looking at the moonlight outside. When she looked at the girl after some time, she still had her eyes open, shuddering in pain on occasion.

"Still can't sleep?"

The girl didn't answer for some time, just staring straight at Mokou.

"...h... hurts..."

Mokou sighed. "I can't help you with that. It didn't bother you when..."

Mokou remembered the moment when she looked at the girl after entering her house, then sighed one more time and approached her. The girl opened her eyes wide and raised herself a little, looking at her in bewilderment, but Mokou just laid next to her and placed the girl's head on her arm.

"Just imagine I'm carrying you again, okay?"

"...s... sorry..." The girl closed her eyes and curled tensely.

They were lying like that for some time, the girl shuddering a bit once in a while. Eventually her body relaxed, and the only sound coming from her was her breath. Mokou carefully pulled her arm from under her and returned to the entrance.

Observing the moonlit scenery, she thought about the whole situation. She did feel a bit of worry about the girl. But why? It's not like she even knew her. Of course, the poor girl's predicament was her doing. Maybe it could've been avoided. If so, helping her was a way to atone for that. ...Maybe that's why she felt that. She could care less, but what did she have to lose? It's not like the girl gave her too much trouble. And besides, it would probably be over tomorrow when...

The sickening sight of her eternal foe seeing her with this girl crept into Mokou's mind again. Eientei was out of the question, after all. But at the same time, she had no idea what to do with the girl if she stayed around. Thinking a bit, Mokou decided to visit a friend of hers first thing in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Mokou was already regretting her decision. Trying to explain everything to Keine resulted in a long headache-inducing lecture. Mostly about why it's wrong for humans to keep youkai as pets. It took a bit more explaining to calm her down.

"Honestly, Mokou, I just can't comprehend why you'd decide not to bring her to Eientei." Keine sighed.

"Just imagine. A person that uses fire brings a youkai with a burned wing there. It couldn't be more obvious than that." She answered.

"And you'd risk someone's life just so that there won't be any gossip about you? I understand you're immortal, but--"

"It's not like that!" Mokou looked to the side. "I wouldn't hesitate if her life was in danger. But she seems fine, so I'd prefer to avoid going there if I could help it."

"...But you don't know what to do and need my aid. Am I right?" Keine tapped her foot.

"...You're the only one I know who could help with that." Mokou looked at the ground.

Keine sighed again. "Fine, if you're sure you won't regret this even more. But I need to see her first. It's strange that a youkai would take physical harm so seriously. It should've healed instantly."

"Yeah, I thought that too, but the girl wouldn't stop crying about it."

"Then it must be something serious. Let's not waste any time."

By noon, the two reached Mokou's house. The girl was still lying on the futon the same way as before. Mokou started to worry again, but then she moved a bit and opened her eyes. However, when she saw them approaching, she swiftly raised herself, looking around in panic, as if unsure whether to stay there or find a place hide.

"Don't worry, this is my friend. She'll try to help you." Mokou told her.

Surprisingly, her words had some effect and the girl remained where she was, though still looking at them in terror. Keine approached her, introduced herself and sat nearby. Mokou stayed outside and watched them. The two were speaking quietly so she couldn't hear their conversation, but it was easy to see what was going on. Keine was gently asking questions, the girl was mostly just nodding or shaking her head, occasionally muttering something short. After some time Keine got up and approached Mokou.

"Alright, I think I have an idea about what happened. Did you say anything while fighting?" She asked.

"Well... maybe..." Mokou answered. "Why? Does it matter?"

"Would I ask if it didn't?"

"Right." Mokou scratched her head. "Well, I did, but just some usual insults, nothing special."

"More specifically?"

"Um, that I'll make her into a grilled chick, something like that."

"That explains it." Keine sighed and started answering Mokou's surprised look. "Youkai may be strong against physical attacks, but their minds are far weaker. She took your words seriously and that allowed you to fry her a bit, just as you said."

"Huh, youkai have some curious weaknesses." Mokou remarked. "So? She'll heal soon anyway, right?"

"No. If a youkai does get damaged, the damage stays unless healed in a special way, which depends on how the damage was dealt. Fortunately for this girl, she can heal easily. She just needs to be _nursed_ back to health."

It took a few seconds for Keine's words to sink in.

"What, by me?" Mokou raised her eyebrows.

"Well, in theory it's not _absolutely_ necessary, but it works in such way that it will be faster if you're the one to take care of her."

"No, no, I'm not good at such things..." Mokou waved her hands.

"Hey, didn't you want to help her on your own?" Keine tapped her foot. "It's not hard, just treat her well for some time. Besides, that'll teach you to be more careful in battles."

"Okay, okay, I got it." Mokou sighed. "But really, I don't even know what to feed her with, or whatever else I'll need to do."

"Oh, I'll help you with that. But first..." Keine looked at the girl. She was looking at her burned wing, barely holding her tears back. "...I need to take care of something. Do you have a piece of cloth?"

After digging around a bit, Mokou gave Keine one of her shirts. She sat with it behind the girl, who was looking at both of them frantically.

"Don't worry, I'll just cover your wing. It will heal faster that way." Keine told her. The girl calmed down a bit, but still fidgeted constantly. Keine turned to Mokou. "You'll need to hold her still so that I can do this as painlessly as possible."

Mokou nodded and sat at the girl's side. She stiffened and stared straight at Mokou, making her feel a bit awkward.

"Don't worry, you can trust her. She won't hurt you if she can help it." She said to ease the tension.

The girl closed her eyes and relaxed a bit. Mokou pressed the girl's head to her shoulder with one hand and held her waist with the other. The girl tensed again, grabbing Mokou's shirt with her hands. Keine started carefully laying the shirt over the burned wing, tying its edges together in knots. The girl tried to wince as little as possible, with Keine quietly calming her when she did. Mokou could almost hear the girl's scared heartbeat.

"That's it, all done!" Keine said cheerfully when she finished. The girl slowly opened her teary eyes and looked at her wing. "Don't look under the cover. It'll heal faster if you don't pay it any attention. Don't worry, you'll be fine before you know it. Mokou will see to that." The girl just looked down tiredly.

"Mokou, come with me to the village." Keine said, standing up. Mokou nodded and followed. The girl descended back to the blanket as the two left the house.

Mokou could return only by sunset. The reason was pretty evident - she was carrying a sizable bag of rice. Keine shared some of her own supplies, and all Mokou's objections were brushed off by saying that she herself looked too skinny and needed to gain some weight. Of course, this was likely just a way for her to show her worry for Mokou. She knew of her starving habit and didn't like her doing it one bit, immortal or not. Well, it was true that her stocks were pretty much empty at the moment, and she could use a refill...

Also, Keine gave her some advice. The girl was scared of her and her goal was to change that. Get friendly with her, cheer her up, things like that, she said. But that presented a problem in itself. Mokou might have been a good listener, but she wasn't all that keen of a talker. Just how would she even do that?

When Mokou entered her house, she saw that the girl was still sleeping. She landed the bag on the floor as carefully as possible, but the girl woke up anyway. After raising herself and rubbing her eyes, she finally saw Mokou with her load. Her eyes suddenly opened widely.

"Oh, did I wake you up?" Mokou asked upon seeing her. "I'm sorry. But guess what, I can finally cook something with this!" She patted the bag with her hand. "Wait around a bit, I'll try to make it quick."

"I..."

Mokou immediately rushed towards the kitchen, trying to remember where her cooking utensils were.

"I'M NOT TASTY!"

The sudden shout forced her to stop and turn around. The girl was staring straight at her with a shocked gaze.

"I... I'm poisonous! You can't eat me! Really!"

"Wait, wait, hold on." Mokou waved her hands. "I'm not going to EAT you. What even gave you that idea?"

The girl was just throwing short glances at the bag. Mokou sighed.

"Look, I'm just gonna cook some food for you, that's it. Keine said you'll like rice. You want some, don't you?"

The girl was just staring at her in silence. Mokou sighed again. It seemed there was a misunderstanding to clear up.

"If you're still scared after yesterday then I'm sorry. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just... I just want to help you if I can."

A few seconds passed. The girl finally closed her eyes and hanged her head silently. After a few awkward moments, Mokou dashed away to the kitchen.

She didn't cook too often nowadays, but she was pretty good at it. Centuries of experience had left their mark. At the moment, however, she didn't have a lot of ingredients on hand, so she settled for just some rice porridge. When it was ready, she took a full bowl to her guest. The girl was sitting on the futon with a tired look.

"Here you go. It's not anything fancy, but go ahead and help yourself." She said as she offered her the bowl.

The girl, however, just looked at the food without moving or saying anything. Her hungry gaze was fixated on the rice, but she didn't dare to even take the bowl from Mokou's hands.

"Don't worry, I didn't do anything weird with it." Mokou put some of it in her own mouth. It tasted a bit bland, but good enough. "Well, I'd make some side dish with it, but this should be fine for now."

She offered the bowl again. The girl didn't react.

"Come on, it's good! I've made worse, anyway!" Mokou took some rice with chopsticks and raised it to girl's face. "Just try it once, at least. You'll like it, I promise."

The girl hesitated a bit, then took the rice with her mouth. Mokou watched her face as she chewed and swallowed it. Her expression didn't change.

"See! It's good, isn't it? Go ahead, don't be shy!"

The girl weakly moved her hand a bit, but stopped.

"...c... can't..."

Mokou sighed. It seemed like the girl had barely any strength left after all the recent happenings.

"Guess I'll have to help you with that, after all." Mokou picked up some more rice. This time the girl's hesitation was much shorter.

When the meal was finished, the two of them were just sitting silently. The girl perked up noticeably, but still just looked at Mokou without saying a word. The awkwardness was unbearable.

"Look, I..." Mokou finally broke the silence. "I want to apologize for what happened. I didn't really mean to harm you. I'm sorry it turned out this way and I'll make sure you heal properly. So don't worry, okay?"

The girl didn't respond.

"Speaking of which, why did you even attack me?"

"Uh, I..." The girl lowered her eyes. "I got lost. But I couldn't just leave, I left my cart somewhere there. I couldn't find it and started getting hungry. So I decided to hunt for someone..."

"And I looked like a good lunch?" The girl didn't answer Mokou. She sighed. "Well, I'm human enough, so I can't blame your youkai nature. I just wanted to scare you off, but..."

An awkward silence hanged in the air again.

"I guess I can't fully understand how you feel now." Mokou spoke again. "I frequently damage myself with my own attacks, but I can just ignore it since I know I'll always heal anyway. Though, when I just started learning how to use fire magic, I'd frequently set my hair on fire. I could tolerate usual burns, but it would continue to burn for some time, and it was hard to put it out. So I decided to learn how to make fire protection talismans as well. I got into a lot of trouble because of my fire powers, actually. Like, there was one time when I stayed over at someone's house..."

Mokou kept talking and talking before she noticed she was rambling endlessly. The girl, however, was looking at her with interest now.

"Ah, sorry, I must be tiring you with my talk. It's night, you probably want to sleep."

"Sleep? But it's night!" The girl looked at her with confusion. Mokou sighed - dealing with a nocturnal youkai had its quirks.

"Well, you still probably don't want to hear my boring stories."

"No, please go on. What happened afterwards?"

Mokou was surprised, but resumed talking. She didn't really like telling stories from her own life, hating the idea of having to repeat them over and over for everyone who asks. But now she felt a sort of an inspiration. She decided it was fine in this case.

Hours passed. Mokou started to feel tired eventually.

"Alright, I need to get some sleep, I have some business tomorrow. You should probably get some rest as well."

The girl nodded. This time she crawled under the blanket, though without removing her clothes. Considering she frequently did the same, Mokou didn't object. She took her usual position near the entrance. She watched the sky outside for some time. When she looked at the girl, she was still awake.

"Can't sleep?"

The girl looked at her. "...can't stop thinking about... things..."

"Need some help again?"

"...s... sorry to bother you..."

"It's fine. I should be helping you if I can."

Mokou walked over and got under the blanket as well. Just then, she remembered something that slipped from her mind for longer than it should have.

"Hey, kid... What's your name?"

"...Mystia."

"And I'm Mokou. Now that we know each other, you can feel yourself at home."

Mystia looked into Mokou's eyes. "...You're not angry at me? Sorry to burden you..."

"Don't worry about that. I said I'll help you, right?"

Mystia closed her eyes and pressed her body to Mokou's, burying her face into her shoulder. Mokou put her hand over her waist. While waiting when she falls asleep, Mokou didn't notice as she dozed off herself for a few minutes.


	3. Chapter 3

The day was quite troublesome for Mokou. She had to escort a family from the village to Eientei, then wait around before escorting them back. Normally she didn't mind helping people, but this time she was afraid to run into Kaguya. Mokou knew it was stupid since there was no way she'd learn about the girl staying at her place, but she still felt a strong need to evade her. Thankfully, fortune was on her side this time.

By the time this business was over and she returned to her house, it was already evening. Mystia was sitting on the porch, looking up into the sky. Mokou's approach startled her a bit.

"Ah! Uh... Welcome home..."

"Oh, you're already awake? Sorry, I didn't mean to leave you alone for too long."

"No, no, it's fine!" Mystia waved her hands. "I had a good sleep and woke up before sunset, so thank you! You don't need to worry about me..."

"Well, fine by me, as long as you feel better. But you must be hungry. Come on, I think there's some rice left since yesterday."

"Um..." Mystia fidgeted. "You see... When I woke up I realized I was very hungry... Because I was so nervous yesterday that I could barely eat... So..."

Mokou looked at her in amazement. The leftover rice would have been enough for two full servings.

"So you ate it all?"

Mystia blushed and looked to the side in shame.

"Hey, it's no problem." Mokou ruffled the girl's hair. "I'll just make some more. It tastes better freshly cooked, right?" Mokou yawned.

"Ah, I'm fine, you don't have to!" Mystia waved her hands again.

"Don't be shy. Besides, I need a meal myself, but it's hard to cook for just one person."

Mystia finally nodded.

Mokou wasn't lying. She had nothing to eat for a few days now. That, along with a severe lack of sleep and how busy the last few days were, drained almost all of her strength by now. However, she felt that she couldn't just lie dormant for a few days like she usually did. She had someone to take care of. It was a feeling she hadn't experienced for a long time.

Mokou went to the kitchen. All the dishes she'd used yesterday were clean. Mokou smiled a bit at the girl's tidiness - she herself would've usually left them lying for days - and started cooking. Ingredients, expectedly, were still too few to make something worthwhile, so she settled for some plain rice again.

After some time, Mokou heard singing from outside. She peeked out of the kitchen. Indeed, that was Mystia singing, still sitting on the porch and looking up. Mokou did hear her songs a few times before, but they were about some strange nonsense. This time, however, it was a sad melody about a bird that wanted to fly into the sky. Mokou quietly listened to it a bit before returning to cooking.

Before long, the meal was ready. The two of them ate it in complete silence. When they finished it, Mystia just stared at Mokou without a word. But this time the immortal decided not to let the awkwardness settle in.

"You were singing while I was cooking, right?"

"Ah, d-did I bother you?! S-sorry about that..." Mystia fluttered nervously.

"No, no, it wasn't a problem. It sounded quite nice, actually."

"Ah, really? Th-thank you." Mystia blushed a bit. "I can't help but sing about what's happening around me. However, people are usually annoyed by that for some reason..."

"But singing isn't the only thing you ever do, right? I mean, you're a bird youkai and all, but there must be something else as well."

"Oh, I also run a grilled lamprey stall."

"Grilled lamprey? That's unusual. Who'd even want that?"

"Hey, it's good for curing night-blindness, so it's popular!"

"I don't think there are all that many people with night-blindness..."

"Oh, but my stall is open only at nights, and I can make people night-blind with my songs, so if they're nearby they always end up visiting my stall. It's popular!"

"Huh? So you cause night-blindness? And does lamprey really help with that?"

"Well, I remove my spell from those who visit me just to make sure, so it's effective!"

Mokou looked at her with doubt, but Mystia was so full of sincere enthusiasm that she didn't notice her expression. Mokou sighed.

"Okay, that's your business, do whatever you want. But I don't think I've seen your stall before. Where is it?"

"Oh, it's a mobile one. I pull it around like a cart."

"Cart? You mean the one that you came here with?"

"Ah... Yeah..." Mystia grew a bit sad after that mention.

"There aren't many people that go through this forest. Why did you come here?"

"Well, business was slow lately, so I thought there may be more visitors here. I also hoped to find some new ingredients around. But..."

"You found neither and lost the cart?"

Mystia sobbed a little. "What's wrong with this forest? It's so confusing..."

"It is. But don't worry, I'll help you look for your cart."

"R-really?!" Mystia perked up.

"Yeah. I'm free tomorrow, so I can go look for it. I don't want you to get lost again."

"Th-thanks..." Mystia blushed again.

A short silence hanged in the room again.

"...Grilled lamprey, huh? Can you cook other things, too?"

"Well, yeah..."

"I hope my cooking wasn't too bad."

"No, it's good! Though I'd add something to the rice..."

"Sorry, I'm short on ingredients. But what would you add?"

"Well, first off, some sauce would be nice..."

They kept talking about food for some time, though it was mostly Mystia monologuing about different dishes. Seeing the girl's enthusiasm, Mokou was glad that she managed to get the girl to relax completely. Besides, she preferred listening, and it was the girl's turn to talk about herself after yesterday.

After some time, however, Mokou's fatigue finally caught up with her. Drowsiness was overcoming her, and she started yawning constantly.

"Ah, are you bored of listening to me?" Mystia stopped her recipe explanation and asked with concern.

"No, not at all. I'm just... really tired. I guess I need to get some sleep now so that I can go search for your cart tomorrow. I'm sorry, I can't sit with you all night."

"No, no, I'll be fine. I won't bother you with singing or anything, so you can go and sleep."

Mokou nodded and took her usual position near the entrance.

"Um... You won't use the futon?" Mystia asked her. "You don't need to worry about me, use it if you need to."

"Nah, I rarely use it. I'm fine here." Mokou answered.

They sat in silence for a minute.

"Um..." Mystia spoke up again. "If you don't mind, I'll sing just once. Something to help you sleep, okay?"

"You don't have to, but go ahead."

Mystia sat on the porch in front of Mokou and started her song. It was nothing special, just something simple about the night, stars and the forest, but it had a pleasant slow and soft melody. Mokou was looking at her with half-open eyes. Eventually she felt her surroundings getting darker, and before she knew it she was sound asleep.

Mokou woke up from the morning sun, feeling well-rested. Only her left shoulder felt heavy. When she opened her eyes and looked at it, she saw Mystia sleeping at her side, her head resting on Mokou's shoulder. After looking at her for a bit, Mokou carefully picked her up and carried her to the futon.


	4. Chapter 4

Mokou tried to find the spot of her encounter with Mystia a few days back. It wasn't all that easy - with how fast the bamboo here was growing, all traces of the battle were already gone. And there definitely was no sign of a cart in sight. She searched the surrounding area until the sunset, but to no avail.

When she came back home, she saw Mystia sleeping on the porch, on top of the half-folded futon and hugging a broom. At first Mokou was worried something happened, but as she approached she could see that the girl looked fine.

Mokou sighed and was about to slightly shake her awake, but stopped as she looked at the girl's sleeping face. She didn't pay it much attention before, but now it looked relaxed, even serene. Mokou leaned over and looked at her - at her messy pink bangs that reached her eyes, at her curiously-shaped ears, at her slightly open mouth.

Suddenly, Mystia opened her eyes and, with a gasp, jerked forward. Mokou's ears ringed from the collision. The girl yelped loudly and fell back on the futon, rubbing her temple.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry..."

"No, no, it's not your fault. I should've learned not to do that after the first time." Mokou said, rubbing her forehead. "But what are you doing out here, anyway?"

"W-well, I woke up while it was still sunny because the futon felt uncomfortable. I thought I'd beat it up a bit, but I ended up falling asleep again."

"Huh? And you used the broom?"

"I-I couldn't find the beating stick..." Mystia answered apologetically.

"Well, I don't think I have one. I rarely use the futon, anyway." Mokou shrugged. "But that aside, I tried looking for your cart near where we... er... met, but couldn't find it. Did you leave it far from that place?"

"...I don't ...remember." Mystia scratched her head.

"Don't worry, I'll look some more later."

"Oh, I know! Let's go together!" Mystia's face suddenly beamed with enthusiasm.

"Eh? But you sleep during the day, and it's harder to see at night."

"Oh, but I see really good at night! I'm a nighttime hunter, you know!" Mystia puffed out her chest pridefully.

Mokou laughed. "Well, if you're so confident, then sure, let's go."

After having a good meal, the two set out on their way. Mokou decided to make a circle around the area she already looked in. Mystia, however, was certainly not in the mood for searching - the bamboo forest was filled with tiny floating lights this night.

"Look, Mokou! Fireflies!"

"Huh. I guess they usually crawl out around this time of year."

"Look at them! So beautiful! I didn't know this forest had them!"

"They're not that rare. You can see them in a lot of places."

"Look at how they all move! Awesome!"

Mystia quickly broke into a song about fireflies. Mokou didn't pay attention at first, but eventually she noticed that the insects were moving in rhythm with the melody. She stopped and looked at Mystia as she started dancing herself. For some reason, the whole scene looked to Mokou like a marvel the kind of which she didn't see for a long time. Or maybe she just wasn't paying attention when she saw it before?

Eventually, the two continued on their way.

"Are you even looking for your cart? You seem to have too much fun." Mokou said halfway.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll see it if it's nearby." Mystia smiled widely. Then, as she looked to the side, something caught her eye. "Hey, what's that?"

Without any other words, she dashed into the thicket. Shrugging, Mokou moved after her. When she caught up to Mystia she indeed saw her near a stall.

"Yay! Mokou, we found it! My cart!" Mystia was jumping up happily. "Oh, is everything alright in there?" She swiftly crawled inside and started rummaging through something.

"Whoa. How did you even get this thing here? Isn't it hard to move it through all the bamboo?" Mokou asked, looking over the stand.

"Yeah, it was. That's why I left it here." Mystia answered, jumping out. "But I don't think it'll get any customers here. And now I have to get it out somehow..."

"Don't worry, I'll help you." Mokou came over to the cart's handles.

"Eh?! B-but..."

"We're not too far from the forest's edge, actually. I'll try to navigate this thing out of here. You watch the wheels so it doesn't fall over."

Mystia nodded and they started on their way. The cart wasn't too heavy for its size so navigating it around the bamboo wasn't that hard. Before long, they were outside the bamboo forest.

"Thank you, I can pull it myself from here." Mystia told Mokou when they stopped.

"Hey, you don't have to. I'm the one helping you, you know."

"B-but... Hey, I know!" She shouted happily as she grabbed a side of the handle. "We can pull it together!"

"...Well, if you insist." Mokou answered, moving to the other side. "Where do you want to pull it to, anyway?"

"Oh, there's a place I always leave it at when I'm not doing business."

The two continued on their way. Mystia was leading the cart somewhere past the human village, singing all the time. It was just a simple song about night and forests, but Mokou didn't mind it at all.

Eventually they stopped not too far from the lake. Mystia went into her stand again. Mokou was unsure what to do now. She helped the girl find her cart and get out of the bamboo forest. She still had to make sure that the girl's wing was fine, but she didn't have to stay at her place now. And yet...

"Okay, we can go back." Mystia's voice startled Mokou. The girl already came out of her stand with a few bags and a bucket in her hands.

"Go... back?"

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Mystia looked at her quizzically.

"No, nothing. What are you carrying?"

"Oh, just some ingredients for tomorrow's dinner!" Mystia approached Mokou, and she saw that the bucket was full of water with a pair of long fish swimming in it.

"'Huh? Eels?"

"Lamprey eels!"

"Oh. It's a wonder they're still alive after a few days out there."

"Oh, but they live really long! I sometimes leave the cart alone for weeks, and they're still well when I come back! It's convenient!"

"Hah, good thinking, birdie!" Mokou petted Mystia's head, who beamed widely from the praise, and took the bucket from her.

The two started on their way back. Mokou felt a relief that she could watch over the girl until she could remove that wing cover. Then she realized she had no idea when it needed to be removed. After thinking a bit, Mokou decided to ask Keine tomorrow. Meanwhile, Mystia was singing again. Mokou started finding it a pleasant thing by now.

When they returned to Mokou's house and dropped off their load in the kitchen, Mokou took her usual position near the entrance. Mystia got under the blanket and lied for a bit before sitting up. It took her a while to speak up.

"Could you... sleep with me today?"

It took a while more for the words to reach Mokou's consciousness.

"Huh? Are you in pain again?" She asked, looking at the girl in surprise.

"No, I just... I can't fall asleep if you're around but not..." Mystia lowered her face.

"Did you get used to it THAT quickly?" Mokou's words made the girl blush a bit. "Alright."

This time it was Mystia who had to take a while to comprehend what was said to her. Speechlessly, she watched as Mokou approached the futon and descended near her. Moments later, they were lying closely together, with Mokou pressing the girl's head to her chest with one hand and holding her waist with the other. A few seconds later, Mystia hugged Mokou's waist as well.

"Sorry for being a bother."

"You aren't."

When Mokou woke up, it was already noon outside.


	5. Chapter 5

"It's about that girl." Mokou wasted no time getting to the point.

"Oh? Did something happen?" Keine asked with concern.

"No. I just wanted to ask when she'll heal up."

"Are you tired of looking after her?"

"No, not at all. It's just that I realized I don't know how to tell if she's healed or not."

"Oh. Fair enough. How is she acting lately?"

"She was a bit timid at first, but it seems like she's fine now. She sings all the time, and even went for a walk with me yesterday."

"Ah. She might be healed, then."

"...'Might'? You don't know?"

"Youkai stay hurt only while they think they're hurt. If her behavior is back to normal then her wounds may be already healed. Of course, the only way to know is to actually look at her wing. Did you check how it looks under the cover?"

"You said not to look under it."

"I said SHE mustn't look under it. You should check it yourself."

"Oh. Alright."

Mokou was returning home while recalling her conversation with Keine. The answer was so simple that she probably should've come up with it herself. But now that she knew it she felt reluctant to do that. And she couldn't understand why.

Then there was that bold move last night. Thinking back, she was surprised herself that she'd do it so easily. And yet... At that moment, it was her desire as well. Of course, it wasn't a big deal by itself, but... Why was she feeling that way about a girl she met just a few days ago? Did she get used to her that quickly herself?

In such contemplations, Mokou reached her house. As she approached, however, she sensed an unusual smell coming from inside. Curious, she went straight to the source - kitchen. Inside, she saw Mystia busy with cooking.

"Ah, welcome home!" The girl said happily when she noticed her.

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"Today's dinner! It'll be ready soon, so wait a bit!"

Mokou went back to the main room. After a couple of minutes, Mystia came in with a few dishes. It was rice, some sort of sauce and what looked like a pair of grilled fish.

"Huh? Is that..."

"Yep! Grilled lamprey, my specialty! Eat up!"

Despite being skeptical at first, Mokou found the food to be better than anything she ever cooked herself. Lamprey tasted a bit strange, more like meat than fish, but turned out to be really good.

When they finished their meal, Mokou decided not to waste any time.

"Uh, Mystia... I talked to Keine and... Uh... Let's look at your wing." Actually saying it turned out not as simple.

"Eh?! But I shouldn't look at it!" Mystia panicked.

"Don't worry. I'll look at it myself. I'll tell you if it's fine."

"...Okay."

Mystia sat on the futon. Mokou sat behind her and carefully undid one knot on the makeshift wing cover. A bunch of charred feathers fell from inside. Mokou looked under the cover. White feathers were covering the wing now.

"I think your wing is fine. We should remove the cover."

"Sh-should we?" Mystia asked, trying not to look back.

"Don't worry, it looks good. I need to look at it without the cover to say for sure."

Mystia didn't answer anything. Mokou carefully undid other knots and removed the cloth. The wing looked perfectly well, as if it was never damaged in the first place. Mokou brushed off the remaining charred feathers from her wing. Her new white feathers felt incredibly soft.

"W-w-well?.." Mystia asked hesitantly.

"It's... It's healed."

Mystia didn't move. Mokou sat in front of her.

"It's alright. You can look at it now."

Mystia looked at her in fright. "I'm... I'm scared... But..." She smiled. "But if you say it's fine, then..."

She closed her eyes and turned to the wing. When she opened them, they widened so much as if she was unaware she even had wings. After a few seconds, she jumped to her feet and turned around.

"Look, Mokou! My wings! My wings!" She shouted happily.

"Yeah, they're fi--" Mokou could barely say anything before the girl leaped on her with a hug.

"Thank you!" Mystia shouted, her voice full with emotion.

"Hey, I did nothing special..." Mokou answered calmly, not comfortable with being praised.

"Ah, I'm so happy! Let's go somewhere!" Mystia released her embrace and sat near Mokou. Before she could answer, the girl jumped up again. "Oh, I know! The lake! It's so beautiful! Come on!"

With a shrug, Mokou decided to comply. The two made their way out of the bamboo forest and to the lake. Mystia was singing all the time. Mokou didn't even pay attention to the lyrics, just listening to the girl's voice. It sounded more beautiful than ever before.

Eventually, they reached their destination - Misty Lake. It looked stunning in the clear night, the moon and the starts reflecting on its calm surface. But the scenery was being made even more stunning by innumerable floating lights along the lake's shores. Fireflies were out full force that night.

Mystia flew up above them, singing her song. Many fireflies gathered around her, forming patterns and dispersing in rhythm with the melody. Mokou could do nothing but watch on in amazement.

After some time, Mystia floated to the forest, still singing. Mokou followed her. She couldn't see her, but went towards her voice. Eventually, however, Mystia's song grew more quiet and distant, while the surrounding forest grew darker and darker.

"...Mystia?"

No response came. The girl's song could no longer be heard.

"Mystia?!"

Howling of wind and rustle of leaves above were the only things that could be heard. Mokou could barely see a few feet of the forest around her.

"MYSTIA!!!"


	6. Chapter 6

She was gone. Mokou made her way back to the lake and waited until sunrise. But she didn't come. Then Mokou tried to find the place where she left her cart. But it wasn't there. Exhausted, Mokou went back to her house. But it was empty.

Feeling no desire to do anything, Mokou stayed at home for days, doing nothing but lying around. Her rugged shirt that used to be a makeshift wing cover and a small pile of burnt feathers were the only things that reminded her of the girl that used to be her guest for the past few days. But why couldn't she stop thinking about her? Was she angry at the girl leaving her so abruptly? That was silly, of course she had no reason to stay around Mokou anymore and was free to go wherever she pleased now. Making her stay around would only lead to another lecture from Keine. But why was she still thinking about the short time the two of them spent together?

Eventually, Mokou realized that dwelling on it was pointless. What was she even expecting? Nothing could possibly come from all that. Things had happened the way they did, and it was time to go back to usual. A drinking party would help chase her melancholy away, she thought, and that shrine maiden was having one that night. Kaguya would be there, but now she'd gladly meet her rival.

The party had already started by the time Mokou got there. The red-white and her friends were celebrating another incident's successful resolution. Keine was also around, so Mokou decided to join her.

"Oh, nice to see you at last!" The teacher said happily when she saw her. "You haven't visited for some time so I started to get worried. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah." Mokou shrugged. "About that girl..."

"Oh, you did a great job!" Keine interrupted her. "She's all lively now!"

"Huh? You saw her?"

"She's right there, you know!" Keine pointed towards where the incident resolvers were sitting. Mystia was flying near them, singing as usual. "Why do you ask? Did something happen?"

"...Nah." Mokou shrugged it off. While she did feel happy at seeing the girl now, she thought to herself that now their paths were separate again. There was no need to remember what had happened between them.

After talking with Keine about latest news, Mokou decided to join Kaguya and her company.

"Mokou!" The loud ringing of a familiar voice was followed by an impact on Mokou's back.

"Hello, Mystia." Mokou looked back at the girl that had jumped at her with a hug.

"I'm so happy you're here! You can listen to my songs too!" Mystia released her embrace and resumed her singing.

"You know that night sparrow?" The slightly bewildered Kaguya asked as Mokou approached.

"...Sort of. Helped her get her food cart out of the bamboo a few days ago." Mokou shrugged.

The party went on as usual. Mokou couldn't relax anymore, involuntary looking for Mystia all the time, so she decided to leave early. However, she didn't go far before a familiar voice called her name loudly again. Mokou turned around, and indeed, Mystia was chasing after her.

"You're already leaving? I wanted to sing a few songs for you..." The girl looked genuinely upset.

Mokou sighed. "Look, it's fine. You don't have to thank me. I helped you as much as I could, but now you can go do whatever you please and forget that we even spent some time together. I'm fine with that."

Mystia looked at her in confusion. "Spent some time together? What do you mean?"

Mokou stood silent for a few seconds from surprise. "I mean the time that you stayed at my house while your injured wing was healing. I was the one that caused it, you know. Did you forget it? That was only days ago."

"Oh? I guess I did forget it." Mystia shrugged nonchalantly. "I tend to forget unimportant stuff pretty fast."

"...Unimportant, huh?" Mokou lowered her face, gritting her teeth.

"...But I guess you did take good care of me, right?" The girl smiled mysteriously.

"How do you know if you can't remember?" Mokou glared at her.

"Well, I don't know why, but I was really happy to see you when you came. I really wanted to sing some songs just for you. And..." The girl blushed and looked to the side. "And I wanted to..."

Mystia inhaled and stepped close to Mokou. Before she knew what was happening, the girl's face was already close to hers. She could smell sake-scented breath that wasn't hers. And she felt a soft touch on her lips.

Before Mokou could realize what had happened, the girl stepped back again.

"I still need to sing a few songs for everyone, so I gotta go. Hope to see you again soon!"

With those words, she took off back to the party.

Now, as she was slowly walking home, Mokou's mind was burning. That girl abandoning her made her sad. That girl forgetting everything made her angry. But now she didn't know how to feel. She was fine with the girl forgetting her completely. But somehow, despite her being a birdbrain, it wasn't the case at all. Was it fine to leave things that way?

Mokou stopped for a second, and then exhaled loudly. She couldn't come up with an answer. For some reason, a fluttering feeling in her chest wouldn't leave her alone. ...Like a bird released from a cage...

Mokou made her decision. It was fine. She couldn't imagine what this would lead to, but it didn't feel bad. The girl was happy. ...And so was she herself, she had to admit. Whatever others would think didn't bother her. And Kaguya... Kaguya could sneer all she wanted for all she cared.

But how would the girl feel next time they meet? And when would they meet again? Then Mokou remembered that she still had her bucket and ingredient bags. That was a good enough reason to look for her stand. With a smile, Mokou briskly made her way home.


End file.
